The Next Page
by CelticKnot12
Summary: A tragic event brings out a new side of Castle.
1. Chapter 1

_I would just like to say before you start reading this story, that I love Martha. She's such a great character, and if anything happened to her in the show, I'd be really upset with the writers. But as an unofficial writer, I can write things that don't come true. So this is a what-if fic. Enjoy and review!_

Beckett sat at her desk, glaring from Castle to the papers around her. His latest theory, Jedi-Masters from another galaxy, had evoked more than a few chuckles from Ryan and Esposito, but for some reason, she wouldn't laugh. It wasn't so much that she didn't find it funny; she couldn't laugh because that would be giving an admission that she enjoyed Castle's company. And while she knew that everyone else knew, she couldn't bring herself to give a visible sign of it.

"Think about it! The narrow cut could be from the light saber! Jedi-mind tricks could also explain the lack of a struggle."

"Yeah, Castle, but you're forgetting something. Han Solo only flies in one galaxy."

"But he could have put any boost on the Millennial Falcon!" His phone started buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, and after a fond glance at Alexis' sweet smile on the caller ID, pressed a button. "Hey, Alexis, what's up?"

Beckett glanced up at him, forgetting to glare when she saw the pure astonishment on his face.

"Slow down, Alexis. What's wrong with Gram?"

Castle and Beckett locked eyes, his expression one she had never seen on his face before, but one extremely similar to something she saw regularly.

"I'm on my way, sweetheart. Just stay there, it'll be okay." He ended the call, eyes blinking abnormally quickly, not to rid them of unshed tears, but in shock. "Can you give me a ride to the hospital?"

Kate was instantly on her feet and pulling her coat on. Castle followed suit, moving slowly, as though in a daze.

"Esposito!" Beckett called, even as she walked toward the elevator. "Castle has a family emergency. I'll be back later."

Javier Esposito nodded, taking in Castle's odd behavior. "Take your time, Beckett. Stay with them as long as they need."

She bit her lip. "I know. I will."

Once in the car, she slid the gear into drive and started down the street. "You want to talk about it, Castle?" She adopted the tone of voice she used for the family of the victims she so often encountered.

He swallowed. "It's my mom." His voice was steady, though carefully schooled.

Kate glanced away from the road, searching his face for a second.

"She had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. They took her to the hospital." His phone vibrated again and in an instant he had it to his ear. "How is she?" He was silent for a few seconds as he listened to the voice on the other end. "Yes, it is." His tone suddenly fell flat, losing all of its normal energy and enthusiasm. "Yes… Yes. No. Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can."

He angled his body away from her and stared vacantly out the window, the gears one could normally see turning from his expression masked completely.

Kate gripped the steering wheel tightly. She dealt with this situation all the time, knowing how to deal with loss was part of her job description. But somehow, when it was her partner sitting next to her, the words which she instinctively knew to say were gone. Carefully she pieced together her next sentence. "Rick." It was a lame attempt, but it had come out before she had finished composing a platitude.

He shook his head, still not looking at her. "She's gone. We need to get there soon, the doctor said Alexis is devastated."

Beckett felt tears nip at the back of her eyes, but she refused to give them the pleasure of coming forward, averting them by distancing herself from the emotion. "It'll be okay, Castle."

He looked back at her, an intense glare in his eyes. "You of all people know that it isn't."

Kate let her guard slide down a little bit, not enough to let his emotions seep through to her, but enough to let sympathy run out to him. What was there to say?

His next words matched her thoughts as though he had been reading her mind. "You don't have to say anything, Beckett. Drop me off and when Alexis and I are ready to come home, we can call a cab."

"No."

"Yes!" Arguing helped him to keep control of his emotions.

"I'm going to stay with you until you're ready to go home, then I'll drop you and Alexis off. You need someone right now, someone who understands."

His voice grew soft, adopting low intonation he used when telling a story. "It's a bit ironic. I've worked with death for years, able to observe it and be untouched. I've watched how people deal with death, react to death, and seen why they cause death. But it never reached me." He laughed quietly and without humor. "Maybe it's a form of poetic justice."

"Poetic justice is for the bad guys, Castle."

"I kill people for a living."

She could say that he didn't kill real people, but didn't think that would be much of a consolation. "But you save them too. By helping me capture the murderers, you're saving lives."

Castle paused for a minute before continuing. "I'm thinking maybe I need a break."

His response was the last thing she had expected. "Okay." She would argue with him later when the news was less fresh and he had thought about it more.

She pulled up to the hospital, and before the car was even in park he had thrown open his door and was on his way inside.

"Rick! Wait up a second."

He slowed and turned around to look at her.

"I meant what I said. It _will_ be okay. It'll take a long time. Some days you won't want to get out of bed, and some days you won't want to see anyone. Some days the memories won't stop coming. Some days you'll feel so guilty you'll think you won't be able to stand it." He looked at her, his eyes sad. "The point is, you have people here for you—Alexis, Ryan, Esposito… and me. I'll always be here for you."

He pulled her into a tight hug, and she felt something moist seep through her hair to her scalp.

"Thanks."

Castle released her and gave a weak smile, not one to show that he was alright, but one of sad understanding.


	2. Chapter 2

_A quick note-the previous chapter was originally intended as a one shot, but because of the response I received, I decided to continue. I would like to state that in no way will I be gratuitously emotionally whumping Castle and Co., I will only continue this if I can elicit new sides of characters. On that note, please read, review, and enjoy :)_

Alexis sat on the stiff, cold chair in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting her dad's arrival.

She would never have guessed this would happen. Things had been going well-she was getting good grades and had a wonderful relationship with Ashley, Dad was happier than ever working with the Police Department, and Gram had become a close, integrated part of her life.

It was amazing how quickly things could change. When she heard Gram grumbling about pain in her arm that morning, she had discredited it as one of the normal aches and pains that crept up with age.

And within a few blurry moments of Gram's collapse, her lips blue beneath her red lipstick, the scream of an ambulance siren, and the shock of defibrillator paddles, her entire world had crashed dead-on into a cement wall.

When the doctor walked into the room with an apologetic expression glued to his face, Alexis didn't know how to respond. Should she cry? Should she be angry? Should she feel guilty?

She didn't say anything when the doctor asked for her cell phone to call her dad. She just handed it over, wading through a tangle of emotions she couldn't define.

Time ceased to exist, yet continued. The doctor asked if she was okay. She nodded and retreated behind a magazine, reading about recipes, garden care, and home decorating. Meaningless words ran through her mind, lacking any literary continuity, but keeping the moment at bay.

Then Dad walked into the room. Time slammed back into effect, throwing her headlong into a reality she wasn't prepared to meet. Sorrow struck her chest, leaving her breathless as she moved into her father's warm arms.

Hiccupping sobs convulsed in her throat as she struggled for air.

And Dad's hand was there, smoothing a calming stroke across her back.

"I'm sorry," she murmured into his chilly blue coat. "I'm sorry."

"Sweetie." He breathed against her hair, rejection for her apology in the single word. "None of this is your fault. You know that, right?"

She nodded wordlessly, stepping away and swiping at her red eyes. That was when she saw Detective Beckett in the corner.

The normally collected detective had small pockets of tears in her eyes, which she easily blinked away when she noticed Alexis' attention.

Alexis breathed deeply and forced herself to push back her emotion. "Thank you for coming, detective."

Kate released a brief nod, not attempting to accept the nicety with a comment or smile, however small.

"Excuse me, is this the Castle family?" A nurse stepped into the room, a plastic mask of empathy plastered to her face.

Alexis looked to her father to answer, then away again when she caught a glimpse of his shell-shocked expression. Detective Beckett must have noticed it too, because she stepped in and answered for him.

"Yes, it is. I'm a friend of the family."

"You can go in now." A stiff, sympathetic smile crossed the woman's face.

"Thank you." Kate said as the nurse exited.

Somehow Kate managed to herd both of them to Martha's room, stopping at the door to give them a moment to collect their thoughts.

"Dad," Alexis started, a slight waver slipping into her voice, "I don't think I can do this."

Dad put his arm around her should and gave a tight squeeze that hurt a little bit, but was nice nonetheless. "Alexis, you are the granddaughter of Martha Rogers, the greatest actress to grace Broadway's stage, the finest woman to mother a famous author, and the best grandmother a teenager could have. You can do this."

Alexis swallowed, fighting tears again. "Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's yet another chapter. Shout out to Isabellamariesummer, who suggested a Beckett and Alexis moment. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review :)_

Kate leaned against the wall, trying not to think about how Castle and Alexis must be feeling on the other side of the door.

It was too similar to what had happened to her. She tried to deny it, to state that Martha had been so much older than her own mother, but her mind wouldn't agree. Over and over she flashed to that moment, opening the door to see a serious looking detective.

The past few weeks had been a miserable reminder of what had happened. That wasn't to state that her mother's death didn't influence her daily-it did. But with Ryan and Esposito's abductions, the situation had grown even more personal, and Kate couldn't seem to stop thinking about who could have been responsible.

Her murder board had now been updated, her partners' faces placed on it, two as victims who survived and one as a witness who apprehended an accessory. The detective who had botched her mother's case was on it as well, both under accessory, with a question mark, and victim.

She tried to stop thinking about it; to stop obsessing. But whenever she closed her eyes her mind raced, filing through images of witnesses, matching wounds, and possible murder weapons.

Her friends at the precinct had dismissed the incident, and she couldn't seem to let it go.

Alexis' quick exit from the room drew her thoughts back to the present. The teen's eyes were an itchy red, but beyond that her emotion was carefully contained.

Kate looked at her, trying not to remember what it felt like to be in that position. "I know it's a stupid question, but I feel like I need to ask... are you okay?"

Alexis croaked out a sad laugh. "No, but life goes on."

"It does." Kate bit her tongue, unsure as to what to do next. Where was Castle?

Her partner's daughter slid into the seat that accessorized the hall, the only splash of color in a white hospital, and even that was a subdued green. Kate moved over to sit next to her, her normal confidence replaced with a desire to fidget with her bright red scarf. Should she hug her? Should she be quiet? Should she speak? All abilities to react appropriately fled despite the fact that she knew how it felt to be in Alexis' position. The truth was that when she had been there, she didn't even know what she wanted.

"I am so sorry," Kate stated, "I know it's cliche, but I don't have other words. Your dad would."

Alexis examined her hands. "He would, wouldn't he." Her agreement held no desire for an affirming response.

Okay, a filler wasn't going to cut it. Kate sat in silence for a moment, wishing Castle would hurry back. But if she had learned anything in law enforcement, it was that you couldn't always wait for someone to conveniently rush in to save the day.

"Alexis-" She tried to speak, but her throat closed and wouldn't let her squeak a single, ill formed word. Instead she shook her head, leaning over and pulling the girl into her arms.

Maybe it was because of all the movies she had watched, but she expected more of a reaction than she received. Tears, maybe a melting compliance to the comfort of the person offering it. But Alexis didn't cry, she just leaned against the detective, silently accepting the warm hug.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Kate absently reaching her hand around to rub Alexis' back while filtering through memories of Martha.

The woman had been unique, there was no denying that. Her constant theatrics reminded her of Castle, in a way. Rick's dramatic flair with words doubtless stemmed from his mother and her own stage performance. Her red hair and out-standing clothing made her even more original, a classic diva roving through life at full throttle.

It wasn't that different, Kate decided. Both her mother and Martha had so much left to give the world, and without a chance to take another step forward their lives had been ended. And it wasn't fair.

Castle stepped out of the brightly lit hospital room, drawing her away from her thoughts and back to the present moment. Alexis sat up and pulled away, looking back at her father.

"What now?"

Castle shook his head, leaning against the gleaming white wall behind him. "I don't know. Normally I don't write this part."

Kate watched him carefully. He seemed strangely out of character: unsure, tired, and devoid his normal arsenal of witty retorts.

Alexis drew her legs to her chest, hugging her arms around her knees in a protective motion. "We need to do something, Dad. I can't do... nothing."

Castle didn't respond, and Kate decided it would be okay to step in and offer advice. "Go home. Think about her. Pull out a scrapbook; admire the pictures of her in her acting heyday. Write a scene about her. Don't try to bottle it up."

It wasn't what she had done. But she didn't want to advise anyone to follow her own course, neither she nor her father had dealt well with what had happened. She didn't know what would work, but she did know what didn't, and there was no way she'd let them follow that path.

"Thanks." Castle motioned to Alexis to stand and started moving toward the elevator.

Alexis stood slowly, unfolding her legs. She paused for a moment, then glanced at Kate. "Can you come with us?"

Kate looked to Castle for approval, but instead of seeing a parent's expression of allowance, she saw a hopeful request. "Alright. Let me call the captain."

Rick nodded and put his arm around his daughter's shoulder. "We'll be waiting in the lobby."


End file.
